Source: FDA, National Drug Code (US) Revision Year: 2021
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the emergency use of the unapproved product PAXLOVID for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg) with positive results of direct severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral testing, and who are at high risk1 for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.
1 For information on medical conditions and factors associated with increased risk for progression to severe COVID-19, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medic lconditions.html. Healthcare providers should consider the benefit-risk for an individual patient.
LIMITATIONS OF AUTHORIZED USE
PAXLOVID may only be prescribed for an individual patient by physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants that are licensed or authorized under state law to prescribe drugs in the therapeutic class to which PAXLOVID belongs (i.e., anti-infectives).
PAXLOVID is not approved for any use, including for use for the treatment of COVID-19.
PAXLOVID is authorized only for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of the emergency use of PAXLOVID under section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.
2 Patients requiring hospitalization due to severe or critical COVID-19 after starting treatment with PAXLOVID may complete the full 5-day treatment course per the healthcare provider’s discretion.
Justification for Emergency Use of Drugs During the COVID-19 Pandemic
There is currently an outbreak of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus. The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) has declared that:
An EUA is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization for the emergency use of an unapproved product or unapproved use of an approved product (i.e., drug, biological product, or device) in the United States under certain circumstances including, but not limited to, when the Secretary of HHS declares that there is a public health emergency that affects the national security or the health and security of United States citizens living abroad, and that involves biological agent(s) or a disease or condition that may be attributable to such agent(s). Criteria for issuing an EUA include:
Information Regarding Available Alternatives for the EUA Authorized Use
There are no approved alternatives to PAXLOVID for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.
Other therapeutics are currently authorized for the same use as PAXLOVID. For additional information on all products authorized for treatment or prevention of COVID-19, please see https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization.
For information on clinical studies that are testing the use of PAXLOVID in COVID-19, please see www.clinicaltrials.gov.
PAXLOVID is nirmatrelvir tablets co-packaged with ritonavir tablets.
Nirmatrelvir must be co-administered with ritonavir. Failure to correctly co-administer nirmatrelvir with ritonavir may result in plasma levels of nirmatrelvir that are insufficient to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.
The dosage for PAXLOVID is 300 mg nirmatrelvir (two 150 mg tablets) with 100 mg ritonavir (one 100 mg tablet) with all three tablets taken together orally twice daily for 5 days. Prescriptions should specify the numeric dose of each active ingredient within PAXLOVID. Completion of the full 5-day treatment course and continued isolation in accordance with public health recommendations are important to maximize viral clearance and minimize transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
The 5-day treatment course of PAXLOVID should be initiated as soon as possible after a diagnosis of COVID-19 has been made, and within 5 days of symptom onset. Should a patient require hospitalization due to severe or critical COVID-19 after starting treatment with PAXLOVID, the patient should complete the full 5-day treatment course per the healthcare provider’s discretion.
If the patient misses a dose of PAXLOVID within 8 hours of the time it is usually taken, the patient should take it as soon as possible and resume the normal dosing schedule. If the patient misses a dose by more than 8 hours, the patient should not take the missed dose and instead take the next dose at the regularly scheduled time. The patient should not double the dose to make up for a missed dose.
PAXLOVID (both nirmatrelvir and ritonavir tablets) can be taken with or without food [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)]. The tablets should be swallowed whole and not chewed, broken, or crushed.
No dosage adjustment is needed in patients with mild renal impairment (eGFR ≥60 to <90 mL/min). In patients with moderate renal impairment (eGFR ≥30 to <60 mL/min), the dosage of PAXLOVID is 150 mg nirmatrelvir and 100 mg ritonavir twice daily for 5 days. Prescriptions should specify the numeric dose of each active ingredient within PAXLOVID. Providers should counsel patients about renal dosing instructions [see Patient Counseling Information (17)].
PAXLOVID is not recommended in patients with severe renal impairment (eGFR <30 mL/min) until more data are available; the appropriate dosage for patients with severe renal impairment has not been determined [see Use in Specific Populations (8.6) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].
No dosage adjustment is needed in patients with mild (Child-Pugh Class A) or moderate (Child-Pugh Class B) hepatic impairment. No pharmacokinetic or safety data are available regarding the use of nirmatrelvir or ritonavir in subjects with severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh Class C); therefore, PAXLOVID is not recommended for use in patients with severe hepatic impairment [see Use in Specific Populations (8.7)].
No dosage adjustment is required when co-administered with other products containing ritonavir or cobicistat.
Patients on ritonavir- or cobicistat-containing HIV or HCV regimens should continue their treatment as indicated.
Refer to other sections of the Fact Sheet for important drug interactions with PAXLOVID. Consider the potential for drug interactions prior to and during PAXLOVID therapy and review concomitant medications during PAXLOVID therapy [see Contraindications (4), Warnings and Precautions (5.1), and Drug Interactions (7)].
Treatment of overdose with PAXLOVID should consist of general supportive measures including monitoring of vital signs and observation of the clinical status of the patient. There is no specific antidote for overdose with PAXLOVID.
Store at USP controlled room temperature 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F); excursions permitted between 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F).
© All content on this website, including data entry, data processing, decision support tools, "RxReasoner" logo and graphics, is the intellectual property of RxReasoner and is protected by copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of any part of this content without explicit written permission from RxReasoner is strictly prohibited. Any third-party content used on this site is acknowledged and utilized under fair use principles.
